


make sure to get plenty of sleep, drawing eyes onto your eyelids isn't as convincing as you think!

by protag



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: 2nd years torinobu, 3rd years yuzumao, Gen, inspired by the event, let mao rest, some ship teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 18:27:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18628798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/protag/pseuds/protag
Summary: a plan is hatched by the new year's student council to make their President, Mao, relax.





	make sure to get plenty of sleep, drawing eyes onto your eyelids isn't as convincing as you think!

Endless sheets of paperwork. 

Things to approve, to judge, and to access—Mao had been taking up any work he could get his hands on for as long as he could remember, and he couldn't just blindly sign things. When you always get handed off work, you're useful. Even people who don’t know you well will remember you and think to rely on you. Even if you're not anything special, you're wanted. 

It was a shallow type of approval to seek out, but Mao was always reaching for it.

Wasn't that part of him what led him here? Being an idol was less menial, a way to feel proud about helping others, from motivating them to bringing them smiles. Last year, Trickstar overthrew [fine] and changed the school. They succeeded, and were continuing to grow and reach greater heights. It wasn't a dream he felt embarrassed about declaring anymore... 

(Well, usually. It still sounded overdramatic, like a shonen hero’s line. Something like that suited Subaru better than him.)

The price of living a dream come true was having to bury himself in work. It made him feel less desperate, reminding him less of the loneliness in the back of his mind. If he threw himself into work, staying useful, he’d get to create connections and keep those fears away. 

Mao had been letting these thoughts and justifications wash over him lately. He was tired, rereading this one page a number of times, still unable to focus enough to make the corrections he should.

Which was what brought him back to reality, an unusual interruption catching his attention. 

Without Mao noticing, Shinobu had crawled under the legs of his chair, settling under his desk. He positioned himself as a footstool for Mao, who did his best in turn to lift his legs, avoiding stepping on the other.

Awkwardly, he questioned: “Uh, Sengoku? What are you doing?”

Shinobu looked up at him, body wiggling slightly as he spoke with pride.

“Being your footstool, of course! That seat once belonged to the Emperor, and I truly think Isara-dono is more than deserving to be treated like royalty as well! I wish to serve you forever, de gozaru...!” 

Mao just felt more bothered with how genuine Shinobu was. The now second year hadn't grown much, so he still fit under the desk, but it didn't make the situation any less awkward.

Shinobu was giving him a closed eyed smile—his bangs were cut a little shorter now. Mao pretended not to notice Shinobu conveniently went and got the trim (which stopped just short of making his hidden eye visible) after the school year had started and he'd noticed Mao's own haircut.

If it had been any other instance of Shinobu’s silly antics, Mao might have let it slide. Shinobu seemed so proud of his idea, but this... was a little too much. Mao scooted back on his chair, again avoiding making body contact with Shinobu.

Trying to sound polite in his rejection, even though he in fact hated it, Mao started, “Thanks, I think? But that's really not necessary—” 

“Allow me.” 

A third voice spoke up, and in one graceful movement, Mao’s chair was pulled back with him still on it. Yuzuru had a slightly amused expression, but otherwise his features weren’t too different to usual.

“Would you care for some tea while you're taking a break anyway?” Yuzuru offered, intervening with the convenient distraction.

It had taken some convincing, Tori, himself, and even phone calls from Keito, but they'd talked the hesitant Yuzuru into officially joining the Student Council. Mao got hesitant in asking once he figured out that Keito left the archery club in Yuzuru’s hands too, but Yuzuru eventually agreed. He fit right in, just like he had the year before, unlimited in the documents he could help with.

Tori had also grown, both in the quality of his work and the way he worked with other students. He'd proven himself useful for going out of the way to talk to new first years, and encouraging them to get their club and unit paperwork done. Though he still had attitude slip-ups on occasion, he had Shinobu supporting him, or Hajime and Yuzuru to keep him in check. 

Mao wasn't sure if any first years would be joining them, but he felt pretty good about the team around him, confident they’d all get through the year. It wasn't going to be easy, but just like he had Subaru, Makoto, and Hokuto to support him onstage, he trusted his council’s performance offstage.

“Thank you. You can take a seat too, you know.” Mao knew better than to argue about whether he needed a drink or not, but he still prodded at the stiffness the butler showed. 

“I am aware. I appreciate the consideration, President-sama.” Yuzuru answered, no hesitation as he poured the boiled tea, cup placed before Mao on the desk.

Following soft sniffling, Shinobu poked his head up from under the table. 

“A cup for my young master and Sengoku-sama as well.” Yuzuru said, smiling knowingly as he repeated the process and set cups aside for the other two boys. 

“Oh! Thank you very much, de gozaru,” blurted out Shinobu, who jumped up and scurried to the desk they had set for him. 

Shinobu hadn't officially joined the council, but he'd grown the confidence to gradually visit more. To welcome and encourage him, Mao had asked for them to set a place for Shinobu as well.

Mao had a drink of his tea and placed the cup down with a bit of a wry smile.

“It's weird hearing you call me that, still,” Mao said, making Yuzuru look back over at him once he was done.

“You are now the president of the Student Council, the leader of the school. Since last year you should have gotten used to people looking to you as a leader, as one of our protagonists. I assure you, it is hardly any different.” Yuzuru answered him, cleaning up after himself and setting ingredients while Shinobu quietly put his teacup down and stuck his tongue out. A quiet “ouch” is uttered. He probably drank too quickly before it cooled. 

As Mao sat back thinking to turn back to his work he paused, thinking back over what had been said and growing confused. He looked over the room to double check, and just as he'd remembered, Tori was not among them. “Are you expecting Himemiya?”

Sure, it was stranger for Yuzuru and Tori to show up at the Student Council room separately, but it wasn't enough for him to have questioned Tori’s absence before.

Yuzuru didn't get the chance to answer, Shinobu shooting up in his seat.

“Isara-dono! Please watch closely!” Shinobu said, his outburst catching Mao's eyes, sure, but leaving him suspicious about what was going on.

Shinobu proudly struck a pose. Then he jumped back so he wouldn’t drip over his chair, slipping some rubber shuriken out from wherever they'd been hidden in his clothes. 

“Isara-dono, you must watch!” Shinobu cried out again. Mao had only looked away for a second to see if Yuzuru was also up to anything suspicious since he'd made his way to stand at the door, but at that, he stopped.

“I'm watching,” Mao assured, looking back as Shinobu finally decided to act.

The underclassman threw his shuriken across the room. Mao watched as it knocked into what he finally noticed was a crudely drawn copy of the other side of the room, on a sheet hung up by some flimsy pins. 

It was embarrassing, admitting he hadn't already noticed the set up. In Mao's defense though, he'd been so sleep deprived from staying up last night that he just moved to his chair on autopilot to start working.

The sheet dropped as soon as the shuriken made impact, despite it being light. 

Behind it...

...wasn't Tori, but still a very pink sight. A bunch of different pillows of various sizes covered a cleared space on the floor, working as a makeshift bed. 

Mao finally looked back to Shinobu, who had excitedly been waiting on his reaction. All Shinobu got was confusion in return. Genuinely thinking it would explain anything, Shinobu spoke through his slight disappointment, “Your safe room now has a den for rest!”

Not understanding, Mao looked at Yuzuru instead, who hummed slightly and stepped out from the doorway.

“Since you're tired, my young master and Sengoku-sama thought to set up a place to rest your head. It could double as a waiting room for Ritsu-sama when he wishes to visit you but is still tired,” Yuzuru answered, sounding a little too proud of the idea to Mao's liking.

“I appreciate the concern over me being tired, but it was one night of crappy sleep. Besides, the last thing Ritsu needs is another place to laze around! You're enabling him way too much, Fushimi...” Mao was just complaining at this point, but it was easier to grumble at Yuzuru than at Shinobu, the latter seeming to have deflated.

“It is not my place to say this, but I doubt Isara-dono will lose sleep just once over work,” Shinobu protested, pout growing like Mao's guilt. 

Before he could make any argument back, there was a call through the door which Yuzuru opened. Mao felt his stomach grumble as the first thing that hit him was the scent of food before he noticed it was Tori who had made his entrance with a bowl of tonkotsu ramen.

“Young master, your hand—! I knew I should have handled the cooking…” Yuzuru immediately fussed, frowning in concern as Tori turned away from him and crouched down to keep him from stealing the bowl.

“It's only a small burn! Stop that before I spill it!” Tori says, arguing immediately and making the butler hesitantly back off as insisted. 

Mao didn't have to look hard to spot the mentioned red colouring to Tori’s hand. Once Tori straightened up again, he approached and shoved the bowl out to Mao, who dumbly looked on.

“Take it already, Saru! Er… I mean, Isara-senpai. You were already a raggedy mess last year, so don't go getting any worse,” Tori huffed. 

Mao only accepted the bowl out of fear that Tori really would drop it, making a mess Yuzuru would take upon himself to clean up.

“Vice President-dono means to say that he was worried! We heard that you were so tired, you missed lunch again... He even went as far as asking Sakuma-dono for your favourite meal, and made it with Anzu-dono,” Shinobu chimed, filling Mao in.

He couldn't help the smile warming up his face and filling his heart, replacing the tired confusion.

“Shinobu! You weren't meant to say that!” Tori blurted, looking at Shinobu distraught as the other sheepishly smiled.

“So, the pillow pile?” Mao asked, head gesturing to the mess on the floor. 

He softened a little again as he recognized in the mess were pillows from Hokuto's drama club and even a haphazardly stitched pillow with a design that could only have come from Mika. He guessed the pillows that doubled as stuffed animals were from Midori since they had a cuteness likeness to mascots as well. He'd been worrying a lot of people, hadn't he?

“Yes! It is a place for you to catch up on sleep... at least for a little while!” Shinobu happily answered him while Mao set the ramen down, making his way over.

“Way to say everything,” Tori grumbled, pout remaining as his face darkened the more his thoughtfulness was exposed. “It's only because he's Eichi-sama's successor, too! Overworking himself was fine when he was just another member of the Student Council, but not if he's the President! He has a reputation to keep...! And besides, for someone who always worried over Hasumi-senpai for doing the same thing, it's dumb to neglect yourself like this.” 

His frustration rang clear, but more than anything his words showed his care for Mao.

Tori was a good junior—one that had grown a lot and was now the one looking after him. It was a bit shameful to have to hear it like that, and Mao didn't feel like he could promise honestly to shape up from now on, but he appreciated the effort. 

“Now eat and go to sleep, dumb President! We have a lot of work to do still,” spoke Tori after the room grew too silent.

Mao laughed a little, noticing how Yuzuru wiped tears from the corner of his eyes at Tori's sincerity as Shinobu stumbled off to get him some chopsticks—something they'd apparently overlooked.

Chopsticks found, Mao said his thanks to Shinobu and accepted them before pausing and looking to Tori again.

“Actually, didn't you say Anzu-chan helped? You didn't leave her to clean up the kitchen all by herself, did you? She's kind of a workaholic as well... it'd feel like you missed the point if you did.” 

Tori huffed in annoyance over Mao picking at the logic of their kind deed.

“I helped clean! We did it as we went, so these two wouldn't have to stall for too long. What kind of noble do you think I am? Even I can do that kind of work. She just didn't come back since we ran into Hinata and Sora in the infirmary and she wanted to check on them and hear about the dumb game Hinata got hurt playing.”

Mao nodded as Tori explained, smiling again in approval as he finally tried some of the ramen. “It's pretty good. Not bad for your first time cooking,” Mao praised him, though he assumed Anzu had handled most of the cooking it made the second year happy.

“Eh— Wait— Could it be...?” Shinobu’s face was reddening, his own conclusions forming in his head. “That Isara-dono mentioned Anzu-dono for he wished to share his meal and bed with her? So advanced…!” 

Mao choked on the noodles in his mouth, broth spilling out of his mouth. He grabbed his teacup, face red from the suggestion, and yelled, “It's nothing like that! Where did you get an idea like that, Sengoku...?!” 

As he hastily gulped down tea to ease his throat, Yuzuru spoke up.

“Hm… If President-sama is in need of a warm body in order to get some rest, I suppose I can offer my own.”

“There's no way it's like that, dude!” Mao was quick to object, flustered at how Yuzuru just casually added to the misunderstanding, though he guessed Yuzuru just couldn’t resist an opportunity to tease him. In complaint, Tori cried out at the same time, “Yuzuru, you're so gross!” 

“I am still small, and Yuuta-kun often enjoys cuddling me! Surely this ninja can handle such a job instead, de gozaru.” Shinobu seemed a little too keen as he offered himself up. 

“Everyone wants to crawl into bed with Isara-senpai! Ew… How lewd,” Tori complained. 

Mao could practically see the colour drain from Tori’s face as Yuzuru plastered his closed-eyed smiled on, resting his hands on his young master's shoulders.

“Do tell me, young master... Where did you learn such words?” 

And though this spelled bad luck and something awkward to come for Tori, Mao was left wheezing, laughter spilling out longer than necessary.

It really wasn't like the feeling of being on stage with Trickstar, but the Student Council no longer felt like a shackle of responsibility. Not like it once had. 

As Shinobu nervously scuttled to his side to escape from the interrogation happening, Mao just found himself thinking that he was probably going to make some precious memories this year too.

**Author's Note:**

> Let mao isara rest and stop being overworked. I love him and hope he's points and even if a bunch of my lore is quickly disproven by the event I speed wrote this in a day so feel pretty accomplished. Feel free to hmu to yell about Mao ships and how he deserves the best I'm saltysugi on twitter!!


End file.
